Printing apparatus



Aug. 4, 1936. FREUDER 2,049,495

PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 24, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR 120 'FFEUDER MORNEY Aug. 4, 1936. FREUDER 2,049,495

PRINTING APPARATUS Filed Aug. 24, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2- INVENTOR Eo FREUDER TORNEY Patented Aug. 4?, 1%36 PRHNTKNG APPARATUS Leo Freuder, Brooklyn, N. Y assignor to Vogei- Freuder Corp, New York, ii. iii, a corporation of New York Application August 2%, 1931, Serial No. 558,860

12 Claims.

My invention relates to apparatus for printing and coating and contemplates the utilization of a new apparatus for applying the printing medium, such as ink, dye or other fluid to the impression surface. More particularly, my invention relates to apparatus for printing by the application or feeding of the printing medium from a continuously replenished supply reservoir within a cellular cylinder, the outer surface of such cylinder serving at the same time as the printing surface carrying the design or pattern to beprinted 'on paper, silk or fabric material.

In known methods of printing, usually employed at the present time, i. e. typography (printing from plates in high-relief) lithography (printing from plane surfaces); and intaglio (printing or engraving with a sunk pattern or design), the printing medium is fed to the printing surface from without the cylinder. In accordance with my invention, the ink, dye or other fluid comprising the printing medium, is fed from within the cylinder and from a continuous supply maintained within such cylinder. All of the known methods of printing, with their variations, are applicable for use with my novel process and the apparatus designed for carrying out the same. Thus, my new method of applying the printing medium to the impression surface may be utilized with any process of. printing known to the prior art and is not restricted to any process with particular reference to which such new and novel method will be hereinafter described.

In either of the three known printing methods, tremendous force is required to draw or lift the ink or dye from type, plates or rolls onto the material to be imprinted, whereas in my invention, the relation between the material to be imprinted and the surface of the cellular cylinder is such that only slight contact is required in order to deposit ink, dye or other fluid onto .the material to be imprinted and in such large quantities (if necessary) as is impossible to store and deliver from any printing plate used by the three old methods. The essence of my invention is contained in this harmonious relationship between my cellular cylinder delivering ink, dye or other fluids and the material which is to be imprinted. This relationship is identical with the action of a brush dipped into and filled to the limit with fluid. Such a brush, if pointed, will deliver the finest of lines or dots the moment the brush point is brought into contact with paper or other material; or with slightly more pressure, heavier lines or dots may be produced. The upper pumping roller, hereinafter described, within the eel-- lular cylinder provides both fluid aswell as greater or lesser pressure onto the fluid containing channels of the cellular cylinder.

My invention also differs in all respects from 5 some ofiice printing appliances which use ink or other fluids supplied to the printing surface from within a cylinder; these appliances cannot be considered printing machines because they can be used only for a very limited duplicating process of letters or kindred oilice advertising or correspondence matter and the primitive construction of these machines does not permit of printing pictorial or color work which any of the three present day printing methods produces and which the machine hereinafter described can produce with greater efficiency and economy in every respect.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a process of printing characterized by speed of. manipulation, efficiency of operation, and unrestricted adaptability for printing operations in volving any and all possible uses, such as for newspaper, magazine, book, wallpaper and textile products, whether involving metallic or gelatine impression surfaces. A further object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for carrying out such process which is simple in construction, easily manipulated, and low in cost of manufacture. More specific objects, such for instance, as the elimination of heavy machine parts, the saving of space required by the apparatus, the elimination of ink troubles such as caking, irregular feeding and uneven distribution of the printing medium, and limitations placed on the amount of ink, dye, or other medium which can be fed onto the material to be printed, will be apparent from the description hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawings in which a particular embodiment of an apparatus for carrying 40 out the process of my invention is shown by way of illustration rather than by way of limitation, Fig. 1 is an end view, partially in section, of a printing machine, showing the essential parts thereof with the driving mechanism therefor; Fig. 2 is a front view, partially in section, of a portion of the machine; Fig. 3 shows the cellular printing cylinders which may be utilized in any one of various ways hereinafter to be more fully described; Fig. 4 shows the cellular cylinder and the action of the pumping roller against the same; Fig. 5 is an end view of the cylinder comprising the ink fountain; Fig. 6 is a partially sectional view of the fountain cylinder; Fig. 7 is a detail section of the cellular cylinder and the pumping systems; Fig. 8 is a detail section of the upper pumping roller; Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are sectional perspectives of the cellular cylinder structure, illustrating the various combinations of modes of etching or engraving; Fig. 12 illustrates the arrangement of the layers of metallic strips forming the cellular cylinder; Fig. 13 is a. greatly enlarged cross-section of the cellular cylinder walls.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views, I5 is the cast iron frame of the machine; I6 is the upper cylinder; i1 is the lower cylinder; I8 is the ink fountain cylinder; I9 is the main pumping roller; 20 is the auxiliary pumping roller, these two pumping rollers serving to agitate and deliver ink or other fluid to the cellular cylinder ll. 2| is an eccentric mounted on a shaft 22, running the length of the machine, and adjustable to bring the pumping roller IS in contact with cylinder ll by means of the lever 23 one at each end of the machine, connected by rod 23 having a handle 24 at the center thereof. Humidifying roller 25 is mounted in the frame l5 on a shaft 28, such roller being adapted to contact with the cellular cylinder [1. On the other side of the frame I5 is mounted a fluid distributing roller 21 on a shaft 28, the roller being constructed for rotary and horizontal motion.

The cylinders l6 and I1 have mounted integrally therewith the driving gears 29 and 30 respectively.

The fountain cylinder 18 is stationary on the bearing 3|. The upper cylinder i6 is supported in an adjustable bearing 32, slidable vertically in the bearing raceway 33 integrally formed with the frame I5, the position of such adjustable bearing within such raceway being controlled by screw shaft 34.

Referring now to the details of the cellular cylinder and pumping system illustrated in Fig. 'l: 35 is the inner section of the cellular cylinder built up of a series of corrugated metal strips hereinafter more fully described, providing a multiplicity of uniformly arranged open channels; 36 is an outer section consisting of a closely constructed screen layer made in accordance with the particular character of the design for the printing of which the cylinder is to be used; and 31 is a solid surface of metallic or organic material of a thickness of approximately .004 of an inch. I have found that this surface may be an electrolytically deposited layer of any metal, preferably for its litho properties zinc, although an organic deposition such, for instance, as gelatine, may be used in certain types of work for which the apparatus is adapted.

Over the surface 31 may be deposited a repellent substance such as a chemical film 38 of gum arabic and phosphoric acid, the proportion of these substances to be used being well known to those skilled in the art, which will repel ink or dye in all places except where such repellent deposit 38 has been scratched or removed from the material deposited to form the section 31. The wall of the ink fountain l8 of Figs. 1 and 2 is designated in Fig. 7 by the same reference character. The upper pump roller IQ of Figs. 1 and 2 is formed of an elastic or cushioning material (for instance, cotton-woolen fabric, rubber, or oxidized wood oil) constructed with a metallic skeleton 40 alternately, laminated and embedded in such elastic material. This upper pumping roller is adapted for rotative movement about the shaft 4| from which extend ribs 42, 42, having ball bearings 43, 43 at the ends thereof in contact with the inner surface of the pumping roller. The lower feed roller 20 is constructed in a manner similar to that of the construction of the cellular cylinder I1 and is mounted within the ink fountain on the shaft 44 in a manner similar to the mounting of the upper roller I9, 5 except that such lower roller is adapted for a greater floating feeder movement within the ink fountain.

Below the cellular cylinder and to one side thereof, in contact with the repellant surface forming the deposit 38, is the humidifying roller 45 dispensing moisture over the surface with which it comes in contact. On the other side of the cellular cylinder in contact with the deposit 38 thereof is the ink distributing roller 46, adapted for rotary and horizontal movement for the purpose of filling fine lines or clots in the sealing surface when ink, dye, or other fluid is supplied through the larger openings in such sealing surface in the manner more fully described herein 20 after.

The reservoir of ink, dye or other medium, is designated by 41 and will be seen to partially fill the interior of the pumping roller IS. The ink or dye from such reservoir is fed by the pumping roller upwardly on theside in the direction of which the upper roller is rotated, the roller pumping such printing medium into the space between such roller and the cellular cylinder 35 carrying such ink into the laminated strips comprising such cylinder and more particularly through the uniformly arranged open channels formed thereby. The pumping action is illustrated in enlarged detail in Fig. 4, in which the upper pumping roller I9 is shown rotating in the direction of the arrow. When the roller i9 is thrown into contact with the revolving cellular cylinder II, it will revolve with such cellular cylinder and the soft elastic material 39 of the pumping roller will penetrate to a slight degree the inner open cells of the cellular cylinder and force the ink, dye or other printing fluid into the channels in such cylinder and through openings of the cellular cylinder or through the sealed surface which forms the design on the outer surface of the cellular cylinder onto the material to be printed which is being passed between the cellular cylinder I! and the upper cylinder is. When the points of contact between the pumping roller and the inner surface of the cellular cylinder recede, inverse pressure will hold the ink in the channels of the cellular cylinder until a new supply of printing medium is delivered by reason of the pressure exerted by the revolving upper roller I6. This upper roller is constructed exactly like the cellular cylinder l1 and may carry a design, or be blank, simply acting as contact cylinder for the material fed between it and the lower cylinder which carries the design. These cylinders may be utilized in any one of the following ways:

1. The cylinder 48 may have on its outer electrolytically deposited surface the design, engraving or pattern to be printed. The cylinder 49 may be blank and act simply as a contact cylinder.

2. The cylinder 49 may carry an exact duplicate of the design, engraving, or pattern carried by cylinder 48. In this modification, there will be a printed impression on both sides of the material passing between the cylinders. This method is of particular importance to the textile industry, making it possible to have the same design impressed on both sides of the material such as cotton, rayon, silk, etc.

3. The cylinder 49 may carry a design, engraving or pattern different from that on cylinder ll, whereby a design is impartedto both sides of a sheet or roll of paper (for instance newspape magazine, etc.) by a single impression.

4. The cylinder 48 and 49 may carry the same or different designs, engravings or patterns, and have two layers of material, for instance, paper, fed therebetween, the design on each cylinder being transferred to the side of the paper with which it is in contact.

5. Several cylinders, each carrying a different color, may be grouped together to form one continuous operation.

In the Figures 5 and 6, I have shown, in profile, a partial section of the ink fountain. In such figures, l8 represents the fountain wall, 50 the end wall of the fountain, and 5| the fountain lid which is removable so that the pumping rollers and bearings may be removed from the fountain by being lifted upwardly out of the same. 52 is an opening in the fountain lid for the pumping roller bearer and lifts 53 (Fig. 2).

The printing medium, such as ink or. dye may be introduced into the fountain reservoir 41 by means of channel 53' connected to a source of supply, such as a hopper (not shown) positioned at one side of the machine.

Turning now to a description of the construction of the cellular cylinder hereinabove referred to, it will be seen that it is made up of alternate layers of corrugated strips of metal 54, 54 (Fig. 12) which by the points of contact of their corrugated surfaces, form a multiplicity of uniformly arranged open channels. After assembling such corrugated strips in alternate layers, the entire cylinder has imparted thereto a nickel-steel, chromium or other metallic deposit of a thickness of .002 or .003 inch. This deposit 55 (Fig. 13) will weld all the points of contact of the strips,

preferably made of copper, which have been laid; alternately in opposite direction as illustrated in Fig. 12, and will also serve to reinforce such strips to the extent of the deposit of nickelsteel,

chromium, or other metal made thereon.

etched or engraved on the sealing surface and after it has been used for its intended purpose, such sealing surface carrying the design can be rescaled or a new metallic sealing surface can be deposited, etched and used as before. Instead of the metallic deposit, an organic sealing surface, for instance gelatine may be applied, in which case the same procedure of deposit, removal, and redeposit may be followed, thus making the cellular cylinder serviceable for a. long period of time.

It is obvious that there will be conditions of operation when no sealing surface is required. By filling in parts of the outer openings of the cellular cylinder with an organic material, such outer openings may be closed in such'a manner that ink, dye or other printing medium will be delivered only through the unfilled spaces onto the material to which the design is to be imparted.

In Figs. 9 and 11 are shown sectional perspectives of the cellular cylinder structure illustrating the adaptability of my process and apparatus for combinations of etching and engraving. In such figures 56 is the inner laminated section of the cellular cylinder; 51 is the outer section thereof; 58 lathe metallic or organic deposit (zinc or copper for etching or engraving, and gelatin for gelatin printing) constituting the sealing surface; and 59 is the repellent film of the same composition as the film 38 of Fig. 7.; By removing portions of the repellent film 59, lines or dots 60 making up a design or pattern so created will accept the ink, dye or other printing medium supplied by the distributing roller 4', all other parts of the sealing surface 58 remaining ink repellent. In this method. no etching of the sealing surface is used, but provision for ink supply has to be made either from within the ink distributing roller or by openings on the sealing surface. In Fig. 10 fine lines or dots 8| may be etched or engraved to various depths into or entirely through the sealing surface 58. Such fine lines or dots will take ink or dye forced into them by the distributing roller 46 in amounts in proportion to their depth. Ink or. dye is supplied by the openings etched through the entire sealing surface. Such sealing surface is a metallic deposit, for instance, of zinc, on which any design, pattern, or lettering can be etched in the wellknown photoengraving manner, except that the. design, pattern, or lettering is etched 'into oreither in positive or negative form. If a positive.

development is used, the printing fluid is fed from the internal ink fountain through the open cells of the cylinder to and through the layer of gelatine to be absorbed by the material to be imprinted. If the negative development is used, a greasy ink, as in regular gelatine printing, is employed, such ink being supplied by the outside ink roller 46. Moisture, which must be supplied to the gelatine base to prevent the ink from covering the entire gelatine surface, is furnished in this case from the internal inking system. The uniform distribution of moisture, at proper temperature, which is possible with my apparatus, is of great importance in gelatine printing both with respect to the quality of reproduction and the endurance or life of the nega tive or picture.

The pattern 62 running through the depth of the sealing surface will be filled with ink, dye

or other printing medium, from within the cellular cylinder. These full depth openings are the sources of supply for the openings etched or engraved only partly through the sealing surface.

The fine lines or dots 6i shown in Fig. 10 are etched so that they do not go entirely through the metallic outer wall of the cylinder whereas in etching the pattern 62 the acid has been allowed to go through to the inner ink containing cells. The part etching (6|) can be accomplished by etching lightly, stopping the etching, and covering those parts of the design which are to print very lightly with an acid resisting composition, for instance, asphaltum, and then continuing the etching until those parts of the design which require a full supply of ink have been etched to full size of opening or the thickness of the etched line or dot being etched. As his possible to produce a design or pattern on the cellular cylinder before the metallic base is deposited thereon, the design may be painted by hand upon the surface of the cylinder by using a medium such as asphaltum. After this has been accomplished, an electrolytic deposit of zinc or copper is made over the surface, those parts which have been painted, not accepting the metallic deposit, and the remaining parts of the surface being sealed by the metallic deposit so that no ink can get through it.

In Fig. 11 are illustrated parts of the pattern or design 63 which are etched completely through the sealing surface, all of the openings forming the design receiving their supply of printing medium from within the cellular cylinder. The re- 'pellent surface 58 prevents ink or dye running preferable to use the moisture roller so as to pre- I vent creeping or spreading of the printing fluid to the unetched parts of the metallic surface. The internal inker also is preferably in use even in cases as illustrated in Fig. 9, showing the fact that very delicate or fine parts of a design may and can be printed in combination with heavier or even solid parts which receive printing fluid from the internal inker as illustrated in Figs. and 11.

My invention is adaptable for use in other fields (outside of the various printing methods as described hereinafter) such as coating of paper, wood, metal or metallic surfaces (food containers,metallic walls or partition, etc.) where an even base of color has to be provided previous to decorating, or it can be used for coating with organic substances such as gelatine on paper, films or other bases where a deposit of uniform thickness is required, for instance, gumming of paper, envelopes, stamps, etc.

An important feature of my invention is its ap-' plicability to processes of printing, coating, etc., by means of webs of material, i. e., material which is fed to the printing or coating machine from rolls, as distinguishable from the application of ink, dye or other fluid to individual sheets of material, whether to one or both sides of such sheets.

When in my claims I speak of a cellular cylinder, I mean a cylinder built up of a series of corrugated metal strips providing a multiplicity of uniformly arranged open channels as more speciflcally described hereinabove.

While I have described a particular embodiment of an apparatus for carrying out the processes of my invention, it is obvious that various modifications therein, particularly in the arrangement of parts may be made without departing from my invention.

I claim:

1. In an apparatus for printing, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder formed of a plurality of corrugated metallic strips laid alternately in opposite directions, a fountain within 7 2,049,495 depth, 1. e., through t metallic base to the open said cylinder forming a reservoir for the printing medium, a pump cylinder within said fountain and a contact cylinder in contact with said cellular cylinder.

2. In an apparatus for printing a design, the 5 combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantity of a printing medium, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having a deposit to which the design, to be printed is im- 15 parted, and a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said cellular cylinder.

3. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantity of a printing medium, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a plurality of pumping rollers mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump theprinting medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having a deposit to which the design, to be printed is imparted, and a second cylinder mount ed within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

4. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantity of a. printing medium, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a plurality of pumping rollers mounted for rotation within the fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having a deposit to which the design, to be printed is imparted, and a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

5. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having the design, to be printed engraved thereon, a second 55 cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of the first cylinder, and a humidifying roller mounted below said first cylinder and to one side thereof and in contact with the same.

6. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a plurality of pumping rollers mounted for rotation within the fountain and adapted to pump the printing 65 medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having the design, to be printed engraved thereon, a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with 70 the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder, and an ink distributing roller mounted below said first cylinder and to one side thereof and in contact with the outer surface thereof.

7.1n an apparatus for printing a design, the 75 combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantity of a printing medium, a fountainwithin said cellular cylinder, a pumping roller of an elastic material mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls'of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having a deposit to which thedesign, to be printed is imparted, and a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

8. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination 'of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a

measurable quantity of. a printing medium, the outer section of said cellular cylinder comprising a closely constructed screen layer, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium'from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having a deposit to which the design, to be printed is imparted, and a second cylinder mounted Within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

9. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder com posed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantity of a printing medium, a

metallic sealing surface deposited on said cylin-- der, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having the design, to be printed engraved thereon, and a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

10. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed a individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a

measurable quantity of a printing medium, an organic sealing surface deposited on said cylinder, and made selectively non-pervious to a printing medium, a fountain within said. cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having the design, to be printed photographically .applied thereto, and a second cylinder mounted within said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

11. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a measurable quantityof a printing medium, an

organic sealing surface deposited on said cylinder,

and made selectively non-pervious to a printing medium, a fountain within said cellular cylinder, a roller mounted within said fountain and adapted to pump the printing medium from said fountain through the Walls of the cellular cylinder, the outer surface of said cellular cylinder having the design, to be printed photographically applied thereto, and a second cylinder mounted within i said frame and adapted to contact with the outer surface of said first mentioned cylinder.

12. In an apparatus for printing a design, the combination of a frame, a cellular cylinder composed of individual cells of substantial depth capable of entrapping and holding, as a reservoir, a 

